Valkyrie

[goldminerusa]

Are Valkyrie`s built on 1800 chassis`s?

[WingAdmin]

Well, to begin with, they are GL1500's, not GL1800's (except for the Rune, which is a thing all to itself). In any case, the Valkyrie frame is completely different from the Goldwing frame.

[goldminerusa]

Thank you. Again. You own a 1500, overall are you satisfied with the design,, engineering and construction? and do you think certain model years are better than others? I`m having alot of fun riding my 82 1100 as i continue to find and repair areas that have been neglected for DECADES from PO`s, but, i am looking forward to a newer model from a single owner who performed regular maintenance. Thanks again to all who are helping in this journey, what a great bunch of people.

[WingAdmin]

Thank you. Again. You own a 1500, overall are you satisfied with the design,, engineering and construction? and do you think certain model years are better than others? I`m having alot of fun riding my 82 1100 as i continue to find and repair areas that have been neglected for DECADES from PO`s, but, i am looking forward to a newer model from a single owner who performed regular maintenance. Thanks again to all who are helping in this journey, what a great bunch of people.

There are advantages and disadvantages to everything, of course. I miss being able to do a high-speed start and winding it up to that huge torque at 8,000 RPM like my GL1100. On the other hand, while the GL1500 doesn't have the revs the GL1100 has, it has huge torque almost right from idle.

The GL1500 has many more electrical things to go wrong, and it's more work taking body panels off every time you want to get to something. There are many things in the GL1100 where while working on it I thought; "I wish they had designed it THIS way" - and in the GL1500, that's exactly what they did. So I'm quite happy with the overall design of the bike. Some of the things they did, like hiding fuses and relays underneath trunk and saddlebags, requiring substantial disassembly to get to is moronic in my opinion, but I guess they have to find space somewhere to fit everything.

To me, the GL1100 is a tank of a bike - it's solid, strong, and heavy. You won't easily break it. The GL1500 is less of this - it's a bit more delicate, more plastic, thinner plastic, more delicate things that can break, less big heavy steel parts holding things together. That said, the engineering is second to none. The GL1800 is even more so - more complex, more delicate.

The GL1500 had some problems that cropped up, and were addressed by Honda as the years went on. The 1995 had some major suspension changes, and in 1997 there were substantial changes to the engine, transmission, clutch and rear drive to strengthen all of these components. So my initial selection criteria was 1997 or later. 1998 had the clear headlight lenses, which I liked, so I changed my selection criteria to 1998 or later. 2000 changed the white-faced gauges back to black-faced, so I decided to just look for a 2000. I wanted a 2000 SE in white, with a Corbin seat, Compufire alternator, a Tulsa Tall windshield, reasonable mileage, and not a huge amount of chrome. I figured that bike wouldn't be very common - but it ended up falling into my lap, so I bought it!

[goldminerusa]

Exactly the kind of response i`d hoped for. Thanks. My original question is about the Valkyrie which i asked because i`m really a bugs in teeth-wind in the hair type of rider, and the valkyrie fits my idea of what a motorcycle is. In a word; Naked. And Honda`s only offering in the GW line since dropping the Standard in 84. Riding the 1100 has sold me on the design, i`m stuck here, for now. Learning the model uses the 1500 is appealing and i`ll be heading that way, unless a 100+inch Victory falls in my lap. Thanks again.

[BusterValkRider]

Updating this 8 year old thread. 2014/15 Valkyries are GL1800C and have a different frame, larger wheels, a higher max lean angle, and are factory tuned for a tad more performance, among other things. Here's another forum that focuses on the 1800 Valks: https://www.f6cforum.com/

[GoldWingrGreg]

Are Valkyrie`s built on 1800 chassis`s?

Yes ... but it depends on the year. For 2014 and 2015, Honda made a 5th gen Valkyrie. It is defiantly GL1800 with no storage. It's by far the fastest of the 3-GL1800 models that Honda made. At Wingding in 2014 I road one and could not believe haw fast it was compared to all others. If I recall, it's 170lbs lighter than their standard touring model. It was basically totally stripped with no reverse, cruise control, heated comfort, audio, and no windscreen. It might have had front pockets. They were not a popular seller and have heard if you can find a NOS, you might be able to buy one for around $8,000.